EXCLUSIVE: Who Killed Molly Ryan? 'Guilt' Mastermind Speaks Out!

Warning: Spoilers ahead from Monday’s killer episode of Guilt! Do not proceed if you haven’t watched the finale. If you have, read on...

Molly Ryan’s killer has finally been revealed!

Freeform’s mystery drama Guilt -- summer's best-kept secret -- answered its season-long question on Monday’s shocking finale, naming the culprit behind the gruesome stabbing death of the Irish student. Luc (Zachary Fall), Grace Atwood’s boyfriend, confessed to being the one behind the fatal blow, but he wasn’t alone in his act.

Instead, it was club DJ and high-end madam Roz (Simona Brown) who blackmailed Luc to kill Molly, with whom she was having a secret affair. Unhappy that Molly was in love with the British prince, with whom she was expecting a baby, Roz orchestrated her murder. In a moment of clarity, Grace (Daisy Head) put all the pieces together and confronted Roz in the London flat where Molly died, before bludgeoning her to death in bloody fashion.
RELATED: Why You Need to Watch Freeform's 'Guilt,' Summer's Best-Kept Secret

ET jumped on the phone with Brown to discuss the shocking finale, whether Roz deserved to die and what lies ahead for Grace.

ET: Did you have an idea that Roz was the mastermind behind Molly’s death?

Simona Brown: I was completely clueless. I knew that Roz was going to either die or run away, but I had no idea. By the time we got to shooting, people would ask me who it was and I didn’t even quite know because everyone seemed culpable in some way for the death of Molly Ryan.

Did you discover it when you read the script?

I found out in the last three weeks of filming -- I think it was before we received the scripts for [episodes] nine and 10. [Creators] Nichole [Millard] and Kathryn [Price] called me and told me Roz was going to die, but they didn’t tell me Roz was also behind [Molly’s] death, everything. So we literally discovered that in the last two weeks of filming. It was very hush-hush. No one had a clue. They did a very, very, very good job of keeping it a secret.

Photo: Freeform

When you found out that Roz was the catalyst behind Molly’s death, what were your initial thoughts? Did it make sense to you?

I wouldn’t put it past Roz to be involved in some sort of mastermind scheme and I did have my suspicions about her and Molly’s relationship – whether or not they’d gone past the point of friends. But I never put the two together. I had written her off because I figured she wasn’t at the scene of the crime, so she had an alibi of being at the club. It was hinted to me when we were filming in Budapest for the first episode that Roz and Luc had a past and I figured it was because he was a gigolo and she had some sort of power over him, but never did I think she’d have that much power to blackmail the poor guy into killing her one and only love.
RELATED: Meet the 6 Breakout Fall TV Stars You'll Absolutely Fall in Love With

Before you learned it was your character, who did you suspect to be Molly’s killer?

I thought it was Prince Theo (Sam Cassidy) because of the baby, or he got his man, Phillip (Osi Okerafor), to do the dirty work for him. That’s what I figured and it’s probably the most obvious choice. I never thought Luc could have done it because in the first episode, he was adamant he was up on the roof. For a moment, I did think it could have been Grace’s stepdad, but I think he’s too cowardly. Never my character.

Are there any specific moments in past episodes you wish you could have done again knowing now what you didn’t back then?

With hindsight, I don’t think I would have wanted to know because that would have influenced my character choices too much. When I found out that Roz was behind the death of Molly, there were so many beats and moments throughout the whole series I didn’t even notice that made so much sense [now]. I think Roz is a survivor and she’s had to endure a lot of pain and loss. Her keeping that offbeat exterior is completely believable to the plot and her character, so I don’t think I would have changed anything if I could.

We have to talk about that final showdown between Grace and Roz in the flat. What was it like filming that moment?

For the first time, [Roz] really gave herself the chance to mourn Molly’s death. Ever since she died, it’s been go, go, go. She’s been so busy trying to keep on top of things and she’s been so preoccupied with everything. With the trial over, she got away with it all and she can finally exhale and start to grieve and Grace caught her in a vulnerable moment. It was quite intense for me. I left with a headache that day. (Laughs.)
RELATED: The 6 New TV Shows You Cannot Miss This Fall

Photo: Freeform

Does Roz regret having Molly killed?

I don’t think she expected Molly’s death to create so much speculation and drama and draw so much attention to her life. It affected her life much more than she expected it to. She thought ridding Molly would mean she could go on with her life – Molly being there was the constant reminder of what she couldn’t have and Roz isn’t quite used to that. I think she did regret killing Molly because I don’t think anybody deserves to die like that.

Do you think Roz deserved to die in such a violent fashion?

I don’t think anybody deserves to die in that way, even if they inflicted that on someone else. It’s quite a horrendous way to go. I guess karma is a beotch. (Laughs.) Whatever comes around, goes around. She had it comin’ so yeah, an eye for an eye.

At the end of the finale, Grace puts herself in a precarious situation after beating Roz to death. Where does this leave her as we look ahead to a potential second season?

She’s quite an interesting character and she’s definitely a survivor. In this situation, she’s going to have to convince her sister to help her get rid of the body and maybe they’re trying to escape the country or maybe they aren’t. I have absolutely no idea. Maybe the prince will show up. But I definitely think that was quite a cliffhanger and the story has much more to go. She’s got a lot ahead of her and Daisy does such a good job playing her character. It’s going to be a whirlwind for sure.
Are you surprised by who killed Molly Ryan and who was behind it all? Tell us your thoughts by tweeting @ETnow!